Resource Collections

Facing History resource collections make it easy for you to find relationships and build connections among our materials on important classroom topics.

In Facing History Resource Collections, our most powerful and popular themes are illuminated through carefully selected publications, lesson plans, videos, current events, library resources, and more. View the complete list of resource collections on this page.

Antisemitism Resource Collection

Antisemitism, a prejudice against or hatred of Jews, has persisted over thousands of years. Whether expressed by individuals or groups, antisemitism is a convenient hatred that has been used to target Jews for religious, political and cultural reasons. It is crucial to combat antisemitism with education. Facing History and Ourselves has a wide variety of resources for educators to use to build understanding of where this prejudice comes from and how it can be countered.

The Armenian Genocide Resource Collection

Upon the 100th anniversary of World War I and the genocide of the Armenians, it is important to recognize the Armenian Genocide as a pivotal turning point in the history of genocide prevention, international law, and human rights. In fact, Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide, did so in response to the systematic massacres of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Students and teachers studying this history will examine some of the key challenges of the 20th and 21st centuries: genocide prevention, the dangers of nationalism, the limits of sovereignty, justice after genocide, and nation building.

Bullying and Ostracism Resource Collection

Bullying—repeated aggressive behavior with an intent to hurt another person physically, socially, or mentally—is characterized by an imbalance of power between an instigator and a victim. It may occur in schools, online, and many other settings, and may involve physical aggression, social exclusion, derogatory comments, spreading rumors, or racial or sexual stereotyping. Facing History and Ourselves provides a wealth of resources to help students and teachers explore the moral choices we face when confronted with bullying.

Choosing to Participate Collection

Choosing to Participate is a catalyst for conversation about the importance of participation in our community, nation, and world. Find classic Facing History narratives like Little Things Are Big, Crisis in Little Rock, Not in Our Town, and Everyone Has a Story.

Civil Rights Resource Collection

During the United States civil rights movement, everyday Americans challenged their government and communities to live up to their promises of equality and justice. Studying this important era in American history highlights the power of civic participation in a democratic society, the role of non-violence in social movements, the significance of voting rights, the tensions between state and local control, the capacity of the courts to address injustice, and the ways in which different groups define national and community membership.

Classroom Collections Resource Collection

Darfur Genocide Resource Collection

We have many resources that can help students understand the history of this conflict and develop an awareness of the various actions taken to end the violence in Darfur. As students explore how citizens, including many young people, international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, governments, and non-profit organizations have responded to the genocide in Darfur, they can reflect on their own role and responsibility as members of local, national and global communities.

Day of Learning 2014

Facing History's second annual Day of Learning, “Confronting Evil in Individuals and Societies” featured a series of presentations from scholars on the forefront of new research in the sciences and humanities on the nature of evil in individuals and societies. Presentations ranged from a historical portrait of violence in one community during the Holocaust to conversations about neuroscience, social and cognitive psychology, law, theology, and the arts.

Eugenics, Race, and Membership Resource Collection

This collection offers a wide variety of texts, videos, and lessons for teachers interested in the history of race and racism. While this collection is focused on the eugenics movement, teachers will find resources that explore histories of immigration and belonging, race and civil rights, as well as connections to the Holocaust and human behavior.

Genocide Resource Collection

The term genocide, meaning the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group, was coined in 1943 by Raphael Lemkin in response to the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. According to the International Association of Genocide Scholars, "In the 20th century, genocides and state mass murder have killed more people than have all wars." As students study these specific events, it is important to help them think about how universal aspects of human behavior such as prejudice, stereotyping, and conformity contribute to the proliferation of violence, and about how the decisions made by groups and individuals have the power to stop, prevent, or intensify acts of genocide.

Holocaust Resource Collection

The Holocaust, including the breakdown of democracy in Germany and the steps leading to the Nazis' organized murder of six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims, forms the core case study of Facing History and Ourselves. Facing History classrooms help students understand that history is not inevitable, and that the choices of ordinary citizens shape our lives and the lives of those around us. We are committed to helping students around the world understand this history in order to develop their skills of ethical reasoning, critical thinking, tolerance and empathy.

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak features 20 original works by world-renowned artist and Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak. Samuel Bak’s work has been a part of Facing History classes since the very beginning. Bak’s masterful skills as a draftsman—as well as his incredible imagination—open up profound questions for students. The themes of Bak’s work are also the themes of Facing History: questions of identity, responsibility, the challenges of justice, and the difficulties of rebuilding what was destroyed. As in Facing History classrooms, there are no easy answers to the difficult questions that his work asks us to consider.

Immigration Resource Collection

Throughout history, nations developing their immigration policies have had to grapple with the tension between maintaining a national identity and welcoming new immigrants and the distinct ideas, contributions and cultures they bring. In recent years there has been a significant rise in migration, and now over 190 million people live outside of the country in which they were born. The United States has more immigrants than any other country, but in many other countries immigrants make up a higher percentage of the population.

Jews in Europe Before World War II Resource Collection

This collection sheds light on the life of Jews between the late 18th century and 1940—a period of massive transformation and increasing ethnic and religious tensions. It examines the process of modernization, the brutality of European antisemitism, and the influences of secularism, nationalism, Zionism, and socialism. Many of these resources include Polish Jews, while others focus on Jews influenced by German or Russian culture. The resources in this collection can be use to support educators seeking to give meaning to the lives of millions of Jews who lived among their Christian neighbors for centuries before the war.

Justice and the Rule of Law

In the aftermath of the Holocaust and the devastation of World War II in Europe and Asia, there have been significant developments in the quest for justice in the wake of war and mass violence, including genocide. This collection includes videos, primary sources, testimony, lessons, and activities to help reinforce the importance of the rule of law as a means to a more humane and just world.

Literature Resource Collection

Literature, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short stories, and diaries, is a powerful vehicle to develop historical context and insight as well as to build skills in working with text. The works of literature featured in the Facing History and Ourselves Literature Resource Collection focus on individual encounters with history and challenge students to confront history in all its complexity. A wealth of supporting materials, from study guides to classroom stories to video commentary from the authors, provide background and strategies for classroom use.

The Sounds of Change Resource Collection

This collection of lessons is meant as a pre- or post-visit activity for teachers and students visiting the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The series explores several classic soul songs—and their social and historical contexts—during their recording throughout the civil rights movement. The stories of the artists, the music, and the lyrics provide a window into the ways that music can inspire social change.

Survivor Testimony Collection

Survivor testimonies—firsthand accounts from individuals who lived through genocide and other atrocities—help students more deeply appreciate and empathize with the human and inhuman dimensions of important moments in history. They supplement what we learn from historians and secondary sources by offering unique perspectives on the difficult and sometimes impossible situations individuals were forced to confront during moments of collective violence and injustice.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Resource Collection

In 1948, shortly after the devastation of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust, the newly formed United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Passing this Declaration marked an international desire for peace and the beginnings of a system to protect basic human dignity and freedoms. The UDHR has since inspired many individuals and policymakers around the world to work toward a better world.

Students and teachers studying this history will examine the concept of "universal" rights, negotiation of values, the limits of sovereignty, creating a concrete document from an aspirational vision, and the role of education and human rights.

Find Courses and Workshops

Choose from a variety of learning opportunities to fit any schedule. Options range from after-school workshops to 5-day seminars, or go online to access webinars, workshops, and courses from anywhere in the world.

The Facing History and Ourselves program is an integration of compelling content and rigorous inquiry. It calls upon the teacher’s full engagement and mindful selection of resources, activities, guiding or “essential” questions, and assignments.